Cooking appliance using thin-film heating element

ABSTRACT

In a cooking appliance and method for baking a food product, the appliance has a generally solid plate member, a first heating element disposed above the solid plate member in spaced relationship therewith and a thin-film heating element coupled to the solid plate member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/980,468 filed Apr. 16, 2014, which is incorporated herein in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to cooking appliances used forbaking foods such as crusted foods, and more particularly to cookingappliances that include one or more thin-film heating elements.

Cooking appliances such as portable or tabletop cooking appliances thatare used for baking crusted-type foods, e.g., breads, pizzas, calzones,and the like, are well known. Typically, such cooking appliances includea heat source and a flat stone or ceramic plate—often referred to as apizza stone—on which the food to be baked is placed and subjected toheating by the heat source. The pizza stone has a high thermal mass toevenly and efficiently distribute heat over the pizza stone, and thus tothe food being baked.

One drawback associated with using a pizza stone is that the pizza stonetypically requires a long preheat time. Thus, while the heat generatedby the heat source of the cooking appliance may be at a desiredtemperature for baking the food to be baked, the pizza stone may not be.As a result, the top of the food may be baked to a desired finish, whilethe bottom or crust of the food is undercooked.

Other types of cooking appliances, such as broilers, tabletop grills,and outdoor grills, may also require a relatively long preheat time.There is a need, therefore, for a cooking appliance that allows forfaster heating or preheating for cooking food products.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a cooking appliance generally comprises a generallysolid plate member, a first heating element disposed above the solidplate member in spaced relationship therewith, and a thin-film heatingelement coupled to the solid plate member.

In another embodiment, A method for baking a food product generallycomprises supplying current to a first heating element of a cookingappliance to generate heat from the heating element. Current is suppliedto a thin-film heating element separate from the first heating element,the thin-film heating element coupled to a solid plate member toinitiate heating of the solid plate member, the first heating elementbeing positioned above the solid plate member in spaced relationshiptherewith. A food product to be baked is placed on the solid platemember.

In another embodiment, a cooking appliance generally comprises a bottomunit, and a top unit hingedly coupled to the bottom unit, wherein atleast one of the bottom unit and the top unit includes a thin-filmheating element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a baking plate in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the baking plate of FIG. 1 showingan embedded heating element;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the baking plate of FIG. 1 showinganother embodiment of an embedded heating element;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance in accordance withone embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a front view thereof;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the cooking appliance of FIG. 5 with a housingof the cooking appliance in an opened position;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a top heating element of the cookingappliance of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a baking plate of the cooking appliance of FIG.4;

FIG. 9 is a top view of a heating element of the baking plate of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a cookingappliance;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the cooking appliance of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the cooking appliance of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an upper housing of the cookingappliance of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a core insert for the upper housing ofthe cooking appliance of FIG. 10;

FIG. 15 is a top perspective view of a baking plate of the cookingappliance of FIG. 10;

FIG. 16 is a front view of the baking plate of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a side view of the baking plate of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a cross-section taken in the plan of line 18-18 of FIG. 16;and

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a cooking appliancethat incorporates thin-film heating elements.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a cookingappliance that incorporates thin-film heating elements.

FIGS. 21-23 are perspective view of another embodiment of a cookingappliance that incorporates thin-film heating elements.

FIG. 24 is a schematic view of a portion of the cooking appliance shownin FIGS. 21-23.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a cookingappliance that incorporates thin-film heating elements.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference now to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, abaking plate according to one embodiment of the present disclosure isgenerally indicated at 101. The baking plate 101, as disclosed herein,is intended for use with a cooking appliance used for bakingcrusted-type foods such as breads, pizza, calzones, and other foods thatare typically baked on a baking tray in a conventional oven. In aparticular embodiment, the cooking appliance is a portable or tabletopcooking appliance having a heating source to apply heat to the food tobe baked. The baking plate 101 comprises a generally solid plate member103 and a heating element 105 at least in part embedded within the platemember 103. While one or more segments of the heating element 105 arevisible in FIG. 1, it is understood that the heating element may beentirely enclosed within the plate member 103 and otherwise not visiblefrom the exterior of the plate member.

The plate member 103 of the baking plate 101 is suitably constructed ofa high insulative material, such as, without limitation, ceramic, clay,stone, glass, concrete, brick, porcelain, or other suitable highinsulative material. The illustrated plate member 103 is generallycircular, such as in the form that is commonly referred to as a pizzastone. However, it is understood that the plate member 103 may be otherthan circular without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

The heating element 105, according to one embodiment, is an electricallyconductive wire and in one particular embodiment is a nichrome wire thatis arranged in a continuous pattern within the plate member 103. Forexample, FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a pattern formed by a wire107 that defines the heating element 105. The wire 107 includes a pairof terminals 109, 111 at the edge margin of the plate member 103 forconnection with a suitable source of electrical current. The wire 107 isarranged to form a plurality of circular winds 113 spaced radially fromeach other and from the edge margin of the plate member 103 toward thecenter thereof. In an alternative embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 3, thewire 107 is arranged to have an outermost circular wind 113 and azig-zag pattern 115 within the outermost wind. In yet anotheralternative embodiment, the heating element 105 is a calrod heatingelement.

It is understood that in other embodiments the wire 107 may be arrangedwithin the plate member 103 in any suitable pattern that covers asubstantial area of the plate member. The wire 107 according to oneembodiment may have a length (e.g., as measured from one terminal 109 tothe other terminal 111) in the range of about 100 inches to about 140inches. However, the length of the wire 107 may be less than or greaterthan this range, and may vary depending on the overall size or surfacearea of the plate member 103. It is also contemplated that more than onewire 107 may be used to define the heating element 105 without departingfrom the scope of this disclosure.

FIGS. 4-9 illustrate one embodiment of a cooking appliance, generallyindicated at 200, for baking crusted-type foods. The cooking appliance200 is illustrated in a mock-up assembly of representative componentsincluding a baking plate 201 constructed in accordance with the presentdisclosure. In particular, with reference to FIGS. 4-6, the cookingappliance is an oven-type cooking appliance including a base panel 208and a housing 206 removably positionable relative to the base panel suchthat the housing and base panel together define an interior space of thecooking appliance. The baking plate 201 is seated on the base panelwithin the interior space of the cooking appliance when the housing isclosed over the base panel. The housing 206 may be hinged to the basepanel 208 or may be completely separable from the base panel.

It is understood that the oven-type cooking appliance 200 may beconfigured other than as illustrated in FIGS. 4-7. For example, thecooking appliance 200 may be configured as a front-loading oven (e.g.,in the manner of what is typically referred to as a toaster-oven), orwith a base unit supporting the base panel elevated above the surface(e.g., counter-top) on which the appliance sits, or other suitableconfiguration.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, an upper heating system 240 includes apair of heating elements 242 held by the housing 206 for dispositionabove the baking plate 201. While not shown in the drawings, one or morereflectors may be mounted on the housing 206 for reflecting heat fromthe heating elements 242 downward within the interior space toward thebaking plate 201.

The baking plate 201, with particular reference to FIGS. 6, 8 and 9, issubstantially the same as the baking plate 101 of FIG. 1 in that itcomprises a generally circular solid plate member 203 and a heatingelement 205. For illustrative purposes, the heating element 205 is shownas being arranged on a pad P that is placed beneath the plate member.However, in practice, the heating element is embedded in the platemember as illustrated in FIG. 1. The heating element of this embodimentis a wire 207 arranged in the pattern illustrated in FIG. 2. It isunderstood, however, that the wire 207 may be arranged in the patternillustrated in FIG. 3 or in any other suitable pattern. It is alsounderstood that more than one wire 207 may be used to define theembedded heating element without departing from the scope of thisinvention. The heating element 205 is electrically connected at itsterminals 209, 211 to a source of electrical current—which in oneembodiment is the same source of electrical current to which the upperheating system 240 is electrically connected.

In operation, before food is placed in the cooking appliance 200, theappliance is turned on to supply current to the upper heating system 240as well as to the heating element 205 of the baking plate 201. In thismanner, the plate member 203 of the baking plate 201 is brought up to adesired temperature more rapidly along with the air temperature (e.g.,due to the upper heating system 240) in the interior space of theappliance. The food to be baked is then placed on the upper surface ofthe baking plate. In one embodiment, the heating element 205 of thebaking plate 201 may be controlled to reduce or terminate heating of theplate member 203 after a predetermined time period, or after a thresholdtemperature of the interior space and/or the plate member is reached. Inother embodiments, the heating element 205 may be maintained at constantheating for the entire cooking period of the food to be baked.

FIGS. 10-18 schematically illustrate another embodiment of a cookingappliance, generally indicated at 300, for baking crusted-type foods. Inparticular, the cooking appliance 300 of this embodiment is an openbroiler-type cooking appliance including a baking plate 301 constructedin accordance with the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIGS. 10and 11, the cooking appliance 300 of this embodiment comprises a topunit (indicated generally by 302) and a bottom unit (indicated generallyby 304) that are connected together via a hinge 306. The top unit 302,with reference to FIGS. 12-14 includes a housing 308 and a core insert(indicated generally by 312 in FIG. 14) disposed within the housing 308.As illustrated in FIG. 13, the housing 318 includes a top wall 316, afirst end wall 318, a second end wall 320, a first side wall 322, and asecond side wall 324 that together define an interior space 326 sized toreceive the core insert 312 (FIG. 14).

The core insert 312 is suitably configured for attachment to the tophousing 308 within the interior space 326. The core insert 312 includesa frame 338, a reflector 340, and at least one top heating element 342.The frame 338 has a top wall 344, a first end wall 346, a second endwall 348, a first side wall 350, and a second side wall 352 that definea cavity 354 in which the reflector 340 and the top heating element(s)342 are disposed. The walls 346, 348, 350, and 352 have a receivingmechanism for receiving and retaining the reflector 340 and the topheating element(s) 342 therein. Notably, in other embodiments, the topunit 302 may not include the frame 338 but, rather, the top housing 308may perform the function of supporting the reflector 340 and/or the topheating element(s) 342 in the manner set forth herein. The illustratedtop heating elements 342 are suitably quartz-type heating elementsformed as a substantially linearly extending tube. However, it isunderstood that the top heating elements 342 may be any known heatingelements other than quartz-type heating elements and remain within thescope of this disclosure.

Referring back to FIGS. 10-12 the bottom unit 304 includes a bottomhousing 310 and the baking plate 301 supported by the bottom housing.The bottom housing 310 may have at least one leg (or stand) 334configured such that, when the appliance 300 is seated on a surface suchas a counter-top, the baking plate 301 is oriented generally level orotherwise parallel to the counter-top. As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and15-18, the baking plate 301 has a pair of handles 336 connected thereto,and the handles 336 are configured to interface with the bottom housing310 to facilitate detachable connection (e.g., magnetic connection) ofthe baking plate with the bottom housing. This allows the baking plate301 to be removable from the bottom housing 310 for cleaning orreplacement.

As in the previous embodiments, the baking plate 301 includes a platemember 303 and a heating element 305 (FIG. 18) at least in part embeddedin the plate member. In this embodiment, the plate member 303 isgenerally rectangular in shape but is otherwise constructed in anymanner described above in connection with baking plate 301 of FIGS.10-12. The heating element 305 is suitably a wire 307 of similarconstruction to the wire 107 of the baking plate 101 of FIGS. 1-3. Asillustrated in FIG. 18, the wire 307 is arranged with an outercircumferential wind 366 and a serpentine pattern 368 within the outercircumferential wind. The wire 307 is electrically connected atterminals 309, 311 to a suitable source of current such as the samecurrent source to which the top heating elements 342 are electricallyconnected.

With reference back to FIGS. 11 and 12, the hinge 306 enables the topunit 302 to be pivoted relative to the bottom unit 304 between a raisedposition for loading food to be baked onto the baking plate 301 and alowered position for baking the food on the baking plate. The hinge 306is suitably configured to allow the top unit 302 to be adjustablypositioned relative to the bottom unit 304 along a direction D to adesired height above the baking plate 301 to accommodate foods ofdifferent thicknesses to be baked on the baking plate.

In some embodiments, a thin-film heating element is utilized. As usedherein, a thin-film heating element refers to an electrically conductivematerial (e.g., a conductive film) deposited on a substrate for heatingthe substrate. The heating element is said to be a “thin-film” heatingelement in the sense that the substrate and the electrically conductivematerial have a collective thickness that is only marginally greaterthan the substrate itself (i.e., the material forms a thin film on thesubstrate).

The thin-film heating element may include, for example, a metal oxide(e.g., tin oxide) resistive film bounded on opposing edges by electricalbus bars or wires. The bus bars or wires may connect to a controller andpower source to run current through the resistive film to generate heat.Specifically, by applying a voltage between the bus bars or wires,current flows through the resistive film, heating the resistive film andthe substrate on which the resistive film is deposited. Using athin-film heating element improves power efficiency, heating uniformity,and speed of heating. Further, the thinness and conductive heatdirectionality of a thin-film heating element also permit a cookingappliance, such as a toaster, to have a thinner profile.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance 1900 thatincorporates thin-film heating elements. Specifically, the cookingappliance 1900 includes a top unit 1902 hingedly coupled to a bottomunit 1904. The top unit 1902 includes a first thin-film heating element1906 coupled to a first electrically insulating substrate 1908 (e.g.,ceramic glass), and the bottom unit 1904 includes a second thin-filmheating element 1910 coupled to a second electrically insulatingsubstrate 1912. Each thin-film heating element 1906 and 1910 includes aresistive film 1920 extending between a first bus bar 1922 and a secondbus bar 1924. In this embodiment, the resistive film 1920 of eachthin-film heating element 1906 and 1910 is sputter coated onto therespective substrate 1908 and 1912. Thin-film heating elements 1906 and1910 may each have an output power of approximately 1500 Watts.

A thin-film heating element may also be implemented, for example, in thecooking appliance 200 (shown in FIGS. 2-9). For instance, instead ofembedding a heating element in the baking plate 201, a thin-film heatingelement could be used to heat the baking plate 201. To evenly heat thebaking plate 201, the resistive film can be applied to a top surfaceand/or a bottom surface of the baking plate 201.

Alternatively, or additionally, a thin-film heating element may be usedto replace the heating elements 242 in the upper heating system 240.Notably, the resistive film may be substantially transparent.Accordingly, in one embodiment, at least a top portion of the housing206 is made of a transparent material (e.g., ceramic glass) such that auser can look through the top portion and the resistive film to observea food product during cooking.

Thin-film heating elements may also be implemented in the cookingappliance 300 (shown in FIGS. 10-12). For example, a thin-film heatingelement can be used to heat baking plate 301. Alternatively, oradditionally, heating elements 342 may be replaced with a thin-filmheating element.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of another example cooking appliance 2000that incorporates thin-film heating elements. Similar to cookingappliance 1900 (shown in FIG. 19), cooking appliance 2000 includes a topunit 2002 hingedly coupled to a bottom unit 2004. The top unit 2002includes a first thin-film heating element 2006 coupled to a firstelectrically insulating substrate 2008 (e.g., ceramic glass), and thebottom unit 2004 includes a second thin-film heating element 2010coupled to a second electrically insulating substrate 2012. Eachthin-film heating element 2006 and 2010 includes a resistive film 2020extending between a first bus bar 2022 and a second bus bar 2024. Inthis embodiment, the resistive film 2020 of each thin-film heatingelement 2006 and 2010 is sputter coated onto the respective substrate2008 and 2012. The thin-film heating elements 2006 and 2010 may eachhave an output power of approximately 1500 Watts.

In the embodiment shown, the thin-film heating elements 2006 and 2010are substantially planar. Alternatively, the heating elements 2006 and2010 may have any suitable shape. For example, ribs (i.e., substantiallyparallel bars) may be formed on the heating elements 2006 and 2010 tofacilitate forming sear marks on cooked food products. Notably, in thisembodiment, the second thin-film heating element 2010 and substrate 2012form a non-scratch surface. Accordingly, once a food product is cookedusing the cooking appliance 2000, the food product may be cut whileresting on the bottom unit 2004.

The cooking appliance 2000 also includes a drip tray 2030 that may beremovably coupled to bottom unit 2004. When a food product is cooked inthe cooking appliance 2000, the drip tray 2030 collects grease or oilemitted from the food product during cooking. Notably, the cookingappliance 2000 has a relatively slim profile. Further, because of thethin-film heating elements 2006 and 2010, the cooking appliance 2000 mayheat up faster than at least some known cooking appliances. Further, thethin-film heating elements 2006 and 2010 cook food products using acombination of infrared and conduction cooking. The cooking appliance2000 may be powered using direct current (DC) power or alternatingcurrent (AC) power.

FIGS. 21-23 are perspective views of another example cooking appliance2100 that incorporates one or more thin-film heating elements. Thecooking appliance 2100 is a broiler that includes a top unit 2102rotatably coupled to a bottom unit 2104. A handle 2106 coupled to thetop unit 2102 facilitates rotating the top unit 2102 relative to thebottom unit 2104. The bottom unit 2104 includes at least one inputdevice 2107 (e.g., a control knob) for controlling the temperaturewithin the cooking appliance 2100. The bottom unit 2104 also includesindicators 2108 (e.g., LEDs) that may indicate, for example, when thecooking appliance 2100 is on and when the interior of the cookingappliance 2100 is hot or has reached a desired temperature.

The cooking appliance 2100 includes a lower heating element 2110 and anupper heating element 2112. In this embodiment, the lower heatingelement 2110 is a Nichrome heating element having a ribbed orgrill-shaped configuration, and the upper heating element 2112 is athin-film heating element. Alternatively, the upper and lower heatingelements 2110 and 2112 may be any type of heating element that enablesthe cooking appliance 2100 to function as described herein.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the top unit 2102.Specifically, top unit 2102 includes the thin-film heating element 2112positioned between an upper substrate 2120 (e.g., ceramic glass) and alower substrate 2122 (e.g., ceramic glass). Heat generated by thethin-film heating element 2112 radiates downward, through the lowersubstrate 2122. Notably, the heat generated by the thin-film heatingelement 2112 is substantially unidirectional, and little to no heatgenerated by the thin-film heating element 2122 is radiated upward,through the upper substrate 2120. The upper substrate 2120 prevents auser from accidentally coming in contact with the thin-film heat element2122 during operation.

The thin-film heating element 2112 includes a resistive film 2124extending between first and second bus bars (not shown in FIG. 24). Toheat the resistive film 2124, a voltage is applied between the first andsecond bus bars, causing current to be conducted through the resistivefilm 2124. In this embodiment, the resistive film 2124 of the thin-filmheating element 2112 is sputter coated onto the lower substrate 2122.

Notably, the thin-film heating element 2112, the upper substrate 2120,and the lower substrate 2122 are substantially transparent. Accordingly,as seen in FIGS. 21-23, during cooking, a user may view the food productinside of the cooking appliance 2100 by looking through the top unit2102. This allows a user to view the food product without needing toopen the cooking appliance 2100, which would generate in a loss of heatwithin the cooking appliance 2100.

Because of the thin-film heating element 2112, the cooking appliance2100 may heat up faster than at least some known cooking appliances, andmay also provide improved thermal recovery and temperaturestabilization. Further, the thin-film heating element 2112 cooks foodproducts using a combination of infrared and conduction cooking.Moreover, because the food product cooked within the cooking appliance2100 is not squeezed between the lower heating element 2110 and theupper heating element 2112, the food product may retain more moistureduring cooking as opposed to if the food product was cooked in at leastsome known cooking appliances. The cooking appliance 2100 may be poweredusing direct current (DC) power or alternating current (AC) power.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of another example cooking appliance 2500that incorporates one or more thin-film heating elements. The cookingappliance 2500 is an outdoor grill that includes a top unit 2502rotatably coupled to a bottom unit 2504. A handle (not shown) may becoupled to the top unit 2502 facilitates rotating the top unit 2502relative to the bottom unit 2504.

As shown in FIG. 25, a grill plate 2510 rests in the bottom unit 2504.In this embodiment, the grill plate 2510 includes a thin-film heatingelement 2512 for cooking food placed on the grill plate 2510. Similar tothe embodiments described above, the thin-film heating element 2512includes a resistive film applied to a substrate (e.g., ceramic glass)and extending between two bus bars (none shown in FIG. 25). In thisembodiment, the resistive film may be applied to the underside of thesubstrate such that the heat generated is radiated upward through thesubstrate. Further, the substrate and/or resistive film may haveperforations defined therethrough that allow grease or oil emitted fromthe food product during cooking to fall through the grill plate 2510.

Thin-film heating elements may also be implemented in the cookingappliance 300 (shown in FIGS. 10-12). For example, a thin-film heatingelement can be used to heat baking plate 301. Alternatively, oradditionally, heating elements 342 may be replaced with a thin-filmheating element.

In some embodiments, a user may control cooking appliances 200, 300,1900, 2000, 2100, and 2500 using a computing device (e.g., a tablet, adesktop computer, a laptop computer, a mobile phone, etc.), where thecomputing device communicates remotely with the cooking appliance over awired and/or wireless network, such as the Internet, or any othercommunications medium (e.g., Bluetooth®). For example, the user may usea software application on a computing device that enables the user toset a cooking time, where the input is communicated from the computingdevice to the cooking appliance. Further, the cooking appliance maycommunicate information to the computing device (e.g., remaining cooktime) to notify the user.

When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferredembodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the”, and “said” areintended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms“comprising”, “including”, and “having” are intended to be inclusive andmean that there may be additional elements other than the listedelements.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking appliance comprising: a generally solidplate member; a first heating element disposed above the solid platemember in spaced relationship therewith; and a thin-film heating elementcoupled to the solid plate member.
 2. The cooking appliance of claim 1wherein the solid plate member is constructed of at least one of:ceramic, clay, stone, glass, concrete, brick, porcelain, or the like. 3.The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the first heating elementcomprises an additional thin-film heating element.
 4. The cookingappliance of claim 3 wherein the additional heating element is coupledto a substantially transparent substrate.
 5. The cooking appliance ofclaim 1 wherein the thin-film heating element comprises a resistive filmextending between a pair of electrical bus bars.
 6. The cookingappliance of claim 5 wherein the resistive film is coupled to a topsurface of the solid plate member.
 7. The cooking appliance of claim 5wherein the resistive film is coupled to a bottom surface of the solidplate member.
 8. The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the cookingappliance further comprises a bottom housing, the solid plate memberbeing supported by the bottom housing and providing a heatable cookingsurface, and a top housing, the first heating element being supported bythe top housing.
 9. The cooking appliance of claim 8 wherein the tophousing is configurable between a raised position and a lowered cookingposition, the first heating element being spaced from the solid platemember in the lowered cooking position of the top housing.
 10. A methodfor baking a food product, the method comprising: supplying current to afirst heating element of a cooking appliance to generate heat from theheating element; supplying current to a thin-film heating elementseparate from the first heating element, the thin-film heating elementcoupled to a solid plate member to initiate heating of the solid platemember, the first heating element being positioned above the solid platemember in spaced relationship therewith; and placing a food product tobe baked on the solid plate member.
 11. The method of claim 10 furthercomprising adjusting a height of the first heating element above thesolid plate member at least in part as a function of the size of thefood to be baked by the cooking appliance.
 12. The method of claim 10further comprising encasing the solid plate member and thin-film heatingelement within a housing of the cooking appliance.
 13. The method ofclaim 10 further comprising one of reducing or terminating operation ofthe thin-film heating element independent of operation of the firstheating element.
 14. The method of claim 10 wherein supplying current toa first heating element comprises supplying current to an additionalthin-film heating element.
 15. A cooking appliance comprising: a bottomunit; and a top unit hingedly coupled to the bottom unit, wherein atleast one of the bottom unit and the top unit comprises a thin-filmheating element.
 16. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein thebottom unit comprises a first thin-film heating element, and wherein thetop unit comprises a second thin-film heating element.
 17. The cookingappliance of claim 16, wherein each of the first and second thin-filmheating elements comprises a resistive film extending between a pair ofelectrical bus bars.
 18. The cooking appliance of claim 16 wherein atleast one of the first and second thin-film heating elements is coupledto an electrically insulating substrate.
 19. The cooking appliance ofclaim 18 wherein at least one of the first and second thin-film heatingelements is sputter coated onto the electrically insulating substrate.20. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the top unit comprises asubstantially transparent thin-film heating element coupled to asubstantially transparent substrate, the substantially transparentthin-film heating element and the substantially transparent substrateforming a window that enables a user to view a food product placed inthe cooking appliance.
 21. The cooking appliance of claim 15, whereinthe bottom unit comprises a perforated grill plate comprising thethin-film heating element.
 22. The cooking appliance of claim 15,wherein the cooking appliance is a broiler.
 23. The cooking appliance ofclaim 15, wherein the cooking appliance is an outdoor grill.